Killing with Kindness
by poetanddidntknowit34
Summary: Hermione has an incident with the time-turner and she gets sent back thirty years, only to meet a down-trodden Barty Crouch Jr. Her compassion takes over and she tries to comfort him.
1. Prolouge

Third Year Hermione Jean Granger was scowling at her schedule; she hated Divination and really didn't feel like going to class today. She couldn't stand Professor Trelawney and her bogus area of study. Divination wasn't even real magic; it was just guesswork and BS-ing your way through. But, then again, if Harry and Ron had anything to say about it, ALL their classes were just guesswork and BS.

Hermione sighed and pulled the time-turner out of her robes; she'd have to go to class, or face the revocation of her double classes and the time-turner. She began to turn the rotating magical hourglass, but suddenly, Draco Malfoy slammed into her, sending the time-turner into a frenzied spin.

"Crap," Hermione said before the scene around her began rushing backwards. The sun rose and set outside the window to her right and kids rushed to and from in the hallway. Summers came and went, and all the seasons passed in reverse right before her eyes. She had no idea how far she was going to go back, but she knew it was going to be pretty far.

Finally, the seasons stopped moving at spring and Hermione was standing in the hall at night, with no idea how far back she'd gone. She just reached for the turner again, but before she could jump forward, she heard a small sniffle to her right. Turning slowly, Hermione saw a sad-looking Fifth Year boy sitting sideways in the window sill. He had long, gangly legs and a pair of arms to match, and his deep brown eyes shone with the tears he was trying to hold back. His scraggly brown hair fell across his pale face that was staring straight at the opposite wall. He was quite handsome, Hermione noted, but concluded that he would probably be even more so if he wasn't so upset. She took a step toward him, and if he heard her, he didn't acknowledge it. She came right up to the window sill and said, "What's wrong?"

The boy turned his head and the green and silver of his Slytherin tie shone in the moonlight from outside, "Why do you care?" He spat.

"Because you're upset," Hermione said simply, sitting down on the windowsill and situating herself sideways, just like him, "I'm Hermione." She smiled.

The boy looked her up and down, before saying, "I'm Barty."

Hermione smiled again, "So, what's wrong, Barty?"

He sniffled a little and wiped his eyes on his black robes, "Lucius Malfoy was just making fun of me again."

Hermione's jaw dropped at the mention of the name; she had to have gone back thirty years for Lucius to still be in school. She wiped the look away quickly though and said, "What'd he say?"

"Well, I got an 'Outstanding' on all of my twelve O.W.L. exams and he was picking on me for it." He blushed as if being that smart was a bad thing.

"Twelve O.W.L.s?" Hermione exclaimed, "That's FANTASTIC!"

"You really think so?" Barty asked hesitantly.

"Yeah! I want to attempt to get twelve, too." Hermione smiled.

Barty returned her smile. He looked like a ghost when he did, though; like he never smiled and to do so was changing who he was, "I think you will. If you apply yourself, study hard, and ask questions, it's not hard."

"I hope so," Hermione said, "And you shouldn't listen to Lucius; he's a jerk." She knew from firsthand experience with both the blond haired tyrant, and his photocopy of a son.

"This isn't the first time he's picked on me either," Barty said sadly, his eyes reflecting the torment he was remembering, "One time he locked me in a wardrobe in the Shrieking Shack. I was in there for over 48 hours without any food, and it was winter, so I almost froze to death before Lily and Professor Slughorn saved me."

Hermione shook her head, "That's horrible."

"You're telling me," He rested his head back on the wall behind them.

Hermione, wanting to comfort him, reached out and carefully twined her fingers into his. He looked up suddenly, confused, "You just have to find a place where you belong, Barty," She said sweetly, "A group of people who accept you for you, and a place where you feel happy and comfortable." She gave his hand a little squeeze.

"You're right. There is a group of people I've been thinking about joining…"

"Then go for it! Who knows what could happen!"

Barty nodded and smiled again, "Thanks Hermione. Thanks for caring."

"You're welcome," She said, "But I have to get going."

Barty let go of her hand and Hermione gave him a swift hug before turning to go down the corridor. When she was out of sight of him, she spun the time-turner forward, and by some dumb luck, she found herself standing her own time, with two minutes to get to class.

Hermione went flying up the staircases and just barely made it in time. She sank down in her chair and gulped down the glass of tea in front of her while she listened to Trelawney drone on about reading tea leaves, "For example," The lady with the thick glasses and dangling shawls said, "Hermione, give me your cup." Hermione handed the tea cup over and the professor examined it carefully before saying, "Oh sweet, sweet Hermione. Your kindness has gotten you into grave trouble. Even mortal danger."

Hermione rolled her eyes and took her cup back; the crazy old coot had no clue what she was talking about. Hermione wouldn't realize that Professor Trelawney was right, however, until the end of her Fourth Year. But by then it was already too late.


	2. Chapter 1

Barty Crouch Jr. had successfully disguised himself as Alastor Moody, and he was now making his way into Hogwarts castle. If he could make it through this meal, he knew he'd managed to fool everyone, and if he was careful, he'd make it through to when his master rose again. If he didn't, then he'd go down fighting for his beliefs. The Great Hall shone before him in a glittery reminder of his own days at Hogwarts, and the chatter of the new students fell lightly on the scarred ears of Moody, while the young and unscathed Barty listened underneath the ruse.

As soon as he stepped foot in the Hall, the enchanted ceiling called his bluff and began to storm. He whipped out Alastor's wand and silenced the quells above the heads of the students. Barty, completely aware of the stares he was getting from all the students, took another large swig of the polyjuice potion in Moody's hip flask. Then he limped his way to the staff table, glaring at any student who dared catch his eye. He was almost to the head table, when he spotted Lucius Malfoy's son sitting at the end of the Slytherin table. He gave the boy's seat a swift whack with his cane as passed. He hated the Malfoys with a passion.

"Please welcome our new defense against the dark arts teacher, Professor Alastor Moody!" Dumbledore announced and the students slowly broke into an awkward round of applause.

Barty grumbled his thanks and sat down to eat his dinner. The chicken was warm and the mashed potatoes were buttery; Hogwarts food was much better than the gruel they served in Azkaban, and the crust of bread he'd gotten from Father each day. He tore into the food with gusto, letting his malnourished body enjoy the sustenance. Barty ignored Professors Flitwick and McGonagall as they tried to make small talk with him, to make him feel welcome. But he only cared about getting through the school year alive.

Barty finished the food on his plate and reached for his goblet of pumpkin juice, but something caused him to pause in mid-reach. At the Gryffindor table, a familiar brunette was chatting away with her friends. Barty's blood froze; it was Hermione, the time-traveling girl from his school days. THIS was the time-period she was from? Hermione turned to talk to Harry Potter and Barty instantly knew: his childhood friend was friends with his target. He stood abruptly from the table and rushed out of the Hall. Some of the teachers were calling after him to make sure he was OK, but Barty just surged forward until he was in his designated bedchamber. He could feel his skin bubbling as the potion wore off, and soon his old face was staring back at him in the mirror.

His brown hair was hanging in crude pieces around his deep brown eyes and there was dirt smudged on his thin face. How it got there, he didn't know. He didn't care either; he just hurtled himself, onto the bedspread and stared at the ceiling, "Oh Hermione," He sighed into the semi-darkness, "Why must you make my job more difficult?"

There was a knock at the door and Barty jumped out of bed and hid in the bathroom, "What?" He called in the gruff voice of Alastor Moody. It didn't sound perfect, but Barty hoped that whoever it was wouldn't notice through the heavy wooden door.

"Professor Moody, I was just wondering if you were OK," Professor McGonagall opened the door to the room and Barty pulled on the bathroom door knob harder, hoping she wouldn't try to come in there too, "You ran out of the Great Hall looking like you had just seen a ghost."

He felt like he had, "I'm fine; just tired." It was a horrible excuse, but McGonagall bought it and took her leave of him. Barty sank down the bathroom door, his heart hammering loudly in his chest. He'd almost been caught; caught and most likely killed. He stood and crossed to his sink.

Barty splashed his dirt-smudged face several times with the cool tap water, and then scrubbed until the skin turned red. What was he going to do? Hermione had meant so much to him growing up, but now she was going to be in his way. He went back out and looked into his trunk; Moody was several sizes larger than Barty, so all the clothes in the trunk were way too big. Including the pajamas. Barty pulled the red long johns out of the trunk and held them up. He would drown in them, and there was no way he was going to wear that to bed. So instead, he stripped down to his boxers and crawled between the sheets.


	3. Chapter 2

It had begun to rain outside and Barty lay on his side and watched the drops hit the window pane. What was he going to do now? Of course he still had to go through with the plan; his master was expecting him to complete the task at hand. But the question was: what to do about sweet Hermione? They'd met when he'd needed someone most, but that time wasn't nearly as perfect as the second time. Barty closed his eyes and let his mind drift to their second meeting:

_Barty was walking down the corridor on his way back from dinner. The first day back at Hogwarts ALWAYS had the best food, and Barty's sixth year was no exception. The taste of pumpkin juice still lingered on his lips and he smiled as he licked the powdered sugar off his fingers. The corridors were empty; everyone was still in the Great Hall talking to their friends, or in the case of the Slytherin table, hazing the First Years. Barty never participated in the hazing because in his first year, a Seventh Year named Vincent had used a permanent sticking spell on Barty's chair in the Great Hall. Professor Slughorn had to carry him back to his office, and then cut him out of the black Hogwarts robes when the counter-spell refused to work. From then on, Barty had steered clear of the annual hazing._

_He turned a corner and stopped in his tracks; there was a slight blue haze in the middle of the corridor, and a brunette girl materialized. It was Hermione, the girl from the end of last year, "Hermione!" Barty called out then strolled toward her. He was happy to see her again; after all, she'd helped him make his decision to join the Death Eaters, and had given him the confidence to stand up to Lucius this summer. The blond won't mess with him again._

_Hermione turned when she heard her name, and tears shone in her eyes, "Barty?" She had a ginger cat curled up in her arms, but she dropped it and folded into his arms as soon as he got close enough._

"_What's wrong?" Barty asked trying to speak around the wild bushy curls on Hermione's head. Hermione's reply was inaudible because she was speaking directly into his chest. He pushed her gently out of the hug and urged her to say it again, brushing the tears from her cheeks. The cat she'd brought along meowed and weaved its way in between Barty's ankles, sitting down and stretching across his shoes._

_Hermione wiped her eyes and sniffed, "I'm sorry, it's just," She paused, "Ron is a friend of mine and he keeps blaming Crookshanks," She gestured to the cat that was lazily curled up on Barty's new shoes, "For his rat's disappearance. Crookshanks didn't do it! He's a good cat!" She stamped her foot._

_Barty laughed, "I'm sure he is. Just ignore Ron. Besides, if Crookshanks here, "He moved his right foot and the cat was rolled off onto his back on the floor, "DID off the rat, maybe it's best for everyone. Rat's are annoying anyway!" Barty's thoughts immediately shifted to Peter Pettigrew, who's animagus is a rat, and how idiotic the fat little Fourth Year was. Barty would pay anything to be the one to off the little weasel._

_Hermione laughed and reached down to pick up Crookshanks, who was trying to scratch Barty with his non-existent claws, but before Hermione could pick him up, the ginger cat shot off down the hallway and away from the two friends, "Oh no! Crookshanks!" Hermione took off after the cat, her black robes billowing out around her._

_Barty whirled around and shouted, "Hey Crookshanks! Get back here!" Then took off after them. He ran down the corridor and up the stairs following the sound of Hermione's voice as she continued to call the cat's name. He stopped in the door of a near-by classroom to see Hermione chasing Crookshanks up and down the rows of desks. Barty started laughing; the girl looked ridiculous, "Hermione wait!"_

_She stopped and looked at him, her hair even more bushy than normal, her tie was loose, and her robes were falling off her shoulders, "What?"_

_Barty peeled his robes off, leaving his dress pants, white shirt, and Slytherin tie. He gestured for her to do the same. She tossed him the black Hogwarts robes and he said, "Now that we can move more freely, here's what we'll do." He whispered his plan in her ear, as if the trouble-making cat could hear and understand him._

_Two minutes later, Crookshanks had settled himself in the center aisle of desks and was staring hard at the desk in front of him. Barty and Hermione were crouched low and making their way slowly down the aisle, closing in on the cat from opposite sides. When they were only a few feet away, Barty yelled, "Now!" and they both pounced._

_Crookshanks leapt up onto the desk and the two school kids slammed into each other and collapsed into a giggling mass of tangled limbs on the floor. Crookshanks leapt back off the desk and landed on Barty's chest with a 'thud', "Oof!" Barty wheezed once the cat hit him, "You stupid ginger!" Hermione giggled again and Crookshanks curled up and purred happily._

_Hermione reached over and scratched the cat behind the ears, "I guess we caught him."_

"_No," Barty sighed, "I think the cat caught us." He laughed again and turned his head to look into Hermione's eyes, "You sure you don't want me to rough that Ron guy up for you?"_

_Hermione smiled, "No," She stood up and picked Crookshanks off Barty's chest, "I mean, you could, but he's got a large family, and I doubt you could take them all on at once."_

_Barty leaned up against the desk behind him and shrugged, "I wonder what that must be like."_

"_Getting beat up by Ron's numerous siblings?"_

"_No. Having siblings."_

"_Oh." Hermione laughed, "I'm an only child too, and seeing how Ron's house functions, I'm OK with it. Not that there's anything wrong with how they live, I just like the undivided attention from my parents."_

_Barty nodded, "My younger brother died when I was 8. He was only six years old when he drowned. It was my fault." He looked away; he'd never talked about it since then. Mother had forgiven him, but Father never had. Every time anyone asked if Barty had any siblings, he could see in Father's eyes that it was all his fault._

_Hermione dropped Crookshanks again and the cat fell asleep on the floor. She put a hand on Barty's shoulder, "Oh Barty, I'm so sorry. I'm sure it wasn't your fault."_

"_No, it was," He fought the tears, "I was supposed to be watching him. We were down at the lake on Christmas day; Mum said we could go skating if we were careful and if I promised to watch after Michael. He went running out onto the lake and I didn't stop him. I was angry about having to take him with me, because I went down there to be by myself. I was looking at a rabbit when the ice cracked and Michael fell in. He didn't re-surface and I couldn't see him at all. I should've been watching him."_

_Hermione wrapped her arms around his left arm and rested her head on Barty's shoulder, "Barty, even if you had been watching, you couldn't have done anything. It was an accident."_

_Barty just nodded and used his shirt sleeve to wipe his eyes. He took a shaky breath and said through his choked tears, "Then why does it feel like this?"_

"_Like what?"_

"_Like it's my fault. Like I killed him because I was too concerned with myself to watch him."_

"_Oh Barty, we all make mistakes, but this wasn't one of yours. It was a freak accident, and blaming yourself won't help." Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight._

_Barty let a few tears fall into her hair, before he pulled back and dried his tears, "You know, I haven't told a single person about that."_

"_Well, I'm glad you could share it with me," Hermione smiled and looked down as Crookshanks wound his way around Barty's legs again, "I think Crookshanks wants to comfort you, too."_

_Barty laughed, "I think eating rats has given him confidence."_

_Hermione laughed too, "Yeah. Speaking of which, I should probably get back."_

_Barty nodded in agreement and picked the robes back up off the floor. He slipped his over his head and adjusted it perfectly, then waited as Hermione put hers back on. Then she fished the time-turner out of her pocket and Barty scooped Crookshanks up and gave him a big kiss on his ginger head, "Be good, you mischievous cat."_

_Crookshanks glared at Barty as he gave the cat back to Hermione, "Take care of yourself, Barty."_

"_You too, Hermione," And with that, the brunette witch was gone again._

Barty sighed into the darkness of his room; Hermione Granger had always understood him, and had had a way of always making him feel better. So a year of watching her from afar will be the hardest thing he'll ever have to do, and he wasn't looking forward to it.


	4. Chapter 3

Barty rolled over in bed and closed his eyes. It was well into the night, and he had his first day of classes the next morning; and his first day as Hermione's teacher. He sighed loudly and rolled over yet again. He lay on his back in the dark and lightning flashed frequently outside. He lay awake for hours, debating on whether or not to reveal himself to Hermione, thinking about seeing her in the Great Hall that evening, and tossing and turning in the large Hogwarts bed. Finally, he fell into a restless sleep.

The next morning, Barty drug himself out of bed; his feet felt like lead blocks, and he was having trouble keeping his dark brown eyes open. He turned the shower on cold and stood under the freezing water for a long time. Then he got dressed in Moody's clothes, before drinking deep of the polyjuice potion and watched as he morphed into Alastor Moody.

The Great Hall was packed with kids again at breakfast, and Barty took his place at the staff table. He was too tired to eat anything, and he was falling asleep while staring at his eggs, when a noise caught his attention. The Gryffindor table had suddenly erupted in laughter over something Harry Potter had said; the kids were all laughing and high-fiving him. The only person who didn't look amused was Hermione. She had her arms crossed and she looked so frustrated. It was a weird look for her. After a few minutes with him, she'd always looked so happy, and that's the memories he'd always kept of her.

"_Barty? Barty where are you?" A familiar voice rang through the halls of Hogwarts. _

_Barty looked around frantically to see where Hermione was calling from. She sounded so distressed, and normally, she waited to find him rather than yell for him around the school. He ran around the corner and smacked into the bushy-haired Hermione. She didn't even say hello, just threw herself into his arms and began to tremble, "Hermione! What's wrong? Are you OK?"_

"_A murderer broke into the castle and tried to get into the Gryffindor Tower!" She was shaking harder and pulling him closer to him, "I just got so scared, I didn't know where else to go!"_

_Barty hugged her tighter and stroked her hair, "Shh. It's OK, Hermione. You're safe." He held her like that until she stopped trembling, then he said, "What happened?"_

"_We were coming back to the common room and we found that the portrait covering the Gryffindor Tower had been slashed. A murderer from Azkaban had tried to break in and he was loose in the castle. I just got so scared, I couldn't think of anywhere to go other than to find you." She pressed her face deeper into his chest._

"_Well I'm glad you came to find me," He smiled into her hair, "You're safe with me."_

"Professor Moody!" Severus Snape snapped his fingers in front of Barty's face, forcing Barty to snap back to the present, "You're falling asleep into your pumpkin juice."

It was true. Barty had started to fall asleep thinking about Hermione; his face planted firmly in his pumpkin juice goblet, "Oops." He mumbled in Moody's gruff voice.

"Had a late night there, Alastor?" Flitwick joked, nudging Moody in the arm.

"Uh, yeah," Barty said awkwardly, "I couldn't sleep."

"Well, sometimes Hogwarts beds take a few days to get used to if they're different than the one you're used to," Flitwick said, "You should be getting more sleep soon."

"Thanks," Barty said quietly. He stole another look at the Gryffindor table where Hermione was chatting freely with her fellow classmates, unaware of the man hidden under the scarred face and mechanical eye.


	5. Chapter 4

It had never once occurred to Barty that this was Hermione's time period; he should've guessed it as soon as the Dark Lord had told him that he was infiltrating Hogwarts the year of the TriWizard Tournament. Hermione had mentioned the tournament only once, but was so caught up in what they'd been doing that night to go into any more detail.

_Barty was walking out of the Great Hall with an armful of goodies that he'd stolen from the kitchen; House Elves could be so thick at times. Halfway through a chocolate frog, he paused in the entryway and looked around. Sure enough, Hermione was there. But she looked different. Her normally bushy hair was tamed into elegant waves that fell down her back from the ponytail she had, and she had on a ruffled pink evening gown that dipped in a low v-neck. She also had a very determined look on her face._

"_Hi Hermione, want a pumpkin pasty?" Was all he could think to say as she walked up and took his hand, causing the goodies to fall._

"_No, I want you to dance with me," She blushed._

"_Me? Why? I can't dance," Then he mentally kicked himself. He should've just said yes._

"_In my time, we're having the Yule Ball, which is tradition during the TriWizard Tournament. I was dancing with my date and Ron ruined it for me. So I yelled at him and Harry and they went to bed, and my date did, too. So now all I want to do is dance, and I want to dance with you. Please come back and dance with me?" She tugged on his hand lightly and smiled at him._

"_I don't think I'm dressed," He looked down at the classroom robes he had on, "They won't kick me out over it, will they?"_

"_Doubt it," Hermione said, "They'd be more concerned that I'd stolen a time-turner to come back and get you." She pulled said time-turner out of her pink clutch and slipped the chain around his neck. Then she gave it a hearty shove and scenery was whizzing around them._

_When they landed in Hermione's time, music was still pouring out of the Great Hall, "Wow. Hogwarts really doesn't change." Barty whispered as Hermione took the chain off his neck._

"_No, it doesn't," She smiled and pulled him into the Great Hall. There weren't many people left now, only a few stragglers and the teacher chaperones. It was a slower song that they'd walked into, so Barty pulled Hermione close and began to spin her around the colorful dance floor. They danced for eight songs, one flowing right into the next. Then McGonagall announced loudly that everyone needed to go back to their dorms._

"_So I have to go home now?" Barty was disappointed._

_Hermione let him lead her out in the garden and she sighed as they sat down on the bench, "Yeah, sorry." She pulled the time-turner back out and slipped it around his neck._

"_What if I don't want to go back? What if I want to stay here, in this time, and grow up here?"_

"_You can't. You'll mess up time-streams." Hermione turned the turner and soon they were back in Barty's time._

_Barty pouted a bit, "I hate it here."_

_Hermione folded herself into his arms and Barty sighed with relief. It was amazing how perfectly she fit in his arms, and he just wanted to hold her forever. He opened his mouth to tell her that, but Hermione started talking first, "Barty thanks so much for dancing with me tonight. You're the best friend a girl could have." Then she kissed him on the cheek and was gone._

_Barty could feel the Friend Zone like a physical blow. He kicked a potted plant and sat down on the steps in the entryway. He put his head in his hands and sighed._

Barty put Moody's face on the desk in front of him; you'd think he'd remember something like that.


	6. Chapter 5

Kids started filing into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, ready for their first day of class. They were all First Years. Barty reigned as much terror as he felt he could get away with before the bell rang and the First Years left on shaky knees. He had just given them a lecture about how the real world, especially during war, is harsh and they must learn to fight. Then, he'd shared all the stories of things he'd done to various people while in the ranks with the other Death Eaters, pretending as if the stories came from Death Eaters he'd arrested.

Teaching was kind of… fun. Barty was enjoying himself all through the Third Year class, and was even smiling by the time the Second Years stumbled out of the classroom. But once the Fourth Years came in, he stopped smiling. Hermione was in this class. Not only that, but a recognizable name was too. Neville Longbottom, the child of the two people he'd tortured into insanity, was sitting in the front row. He knew what he was going to teach them this class period.

"Unforgivable curses," Barty began, "How many are there?"

"Three, sir," Hermione spoke and Barty suppressed a flinch at the sound of her voice; it'd been so long since he'd heard it.

He turned to write on the board, "And they are so named?"

"Because the use of any one of them—" She broke off.

"Will earn you a one way ticket to Azkaban," Barty threw the chalk down. He'd had that experience already, "Now, the Ministry says you're too young to see what these curses do, but I say different! You need to know what you're up against! You need to be prepared." Hermione was going to need this lesson. After this year, she'd be up against something horrible, and maybe this lesson could help her survive. Moody's eye swiveled around to the back of his head and Barty saw Seamus Finnigan putting his gum under the desk, "And you need to find another place to put your chewing gum beside the underside of your desk, Mr. Finnigan!"

"Now way," Seamus whispered, "The old codger can see out the back of his head!"

Barty chucked the chalk across the room at Finnigan, "And hear across classrooms!" He stepped forward to stand in front of the desk of Harry Potter and his ginger friend, Weasley. This must be the one that had the rat last year, and the one that would make Hermione mad later this year at the dance. Why not pick on him? "Curses. Let's name them. Weasley!" The ginger jumped, "Give me a curse."

"Uh, um," Ron spluttered, "The Imperious curse."

"Ah yes. Gave the Ministry a right bit of trouble few years ago," And it was a personal favorite of his father's. Barty walked over and took a spider out of the glass jar on his desk, "Engorgio." He said and the spider was instantly two times larger, "Imperio!" He yelled and he could feel himself connecting with spider, it ready and willing to do his every command. He flew the spider around the room, landing it on people's desks, causing them to shriek and all the other kids to laugh. Just for giggles, he planted the spider directly on Malfoy's face. He was starting to enjoy himself, when he suddenly got serious, "What should I have her do next? Jump out the window?" The class went quiet, "Drown herself?" He brought he spider back to his hand and relinquished the curse, "scores of witches and wizards have claimed that they only did You-Know-Who's bidding under the influence of the Imperious Curse." Mr. Malfoy being an example. Barty almost said it, but bit his tongue. He'd get Lucius later by failing Draco, "What's another?"

Longbottom's tentative hand went up, "The Cruciatus Curse."

Barty inwardly smiled; he was hoping Neville would be the one to volunteer that one. He laid the spider down on the desk and said with full force, "Crucio!" The spider writhed in pain and the sight sent Barty back to when the Longbottoms had been under his spell, too.

Barty got lost in the memory and only snapped out of it once Hermione started yelling, "Stop! Stop! Can't you see it's bothering him? Stop now!"

He pulled the curse back and looked at Neville's face. The boy looked green and tortured. Barty scooped the spider up and laid it on Hermione's desk. Part of him wanted to whisper to her something to give her a hint of who he was. Tell her about the time they'd danced together, or caught Crookshanks. But he held his tongue on those matters and said instead, "Perhaps you can give us the last one, Miss Granger." She shook her head violently and looked like she was about to cry, "Avada Kedevra." Barty said. It was cruel, and he wished he hadn't done it the second the spider died. Old habits die hard.


	7. Chapter 6

"Here, take this," Barty slid the thick book on Herbology across the desk to the Longbottom boy, "Perhaps it will come in handy sometime."

"Thanks Professor Moody!" The chubby Fourth Year exclaimed, the color coming back to his face as he set his tea cup down and picked up the book.

"Feeling better now?" Barty tried not to throw up; compassion to the weak tasted a lot like the food in Azkaban.

"Yes sir," Neville nodded, "It's just hard, you know. My parents…" He trailed off. Barty nodded Moody's large head and waited for him to continue. Anger briefly flashed behind Neville's eyes as he said, "The Death Eaters who did that won't want to run into me someday." He clenched his fists.

"Well," Barty leaned forward in the chair, partly wanting to say something about how loud Frank Longbottom had screamed, or how Alice had begged Barty to kill her, but instead he played his part and said, "They're all in Azkaban, now," Not true, Barty was right there, and Bellatrix would soon be free, "And one's dead already." Again, false. It'd been Barty's mother who'd died in his place.

"Really?" Neville perked up. Apparently, the boy didn't keep tabs on his parents' torturers.

Barty nodded, "Bartemius Crouch Jr. died a few years after his imprisonment. They buried him in the front yard of the prison." It felt weird to say it, to talk about his mother's death and disguising it for his own.

"They buried him? They gave the man who was most responsible for what happened to my parents the honor of a proper burial?" Neville looked severely angry, "They should've throw him into the ocean and left him to the fish."

Barty kept his cool. He was frustrated that this Fourth Year was speaking of him in such a way, but he had to keep his cover, "Well, what's done is done, and there's no use trying to change that." Neville nodded and relaxed a little, "Now, if you'd be so kind as to go find Miss Granger and let her know that I ask for her presence after dinner this evening?"

Neville stood and collected his backpack and new Herbology book, "Yes, Professor. If she asks why, what should I tell her?"

"Just that I wish to speak with her about class today." He waved the boy out of his office, then leaned back in the chair and rubbed his temples, "I'm surrounded by morons…" He sighed. The large trunk in the corner of the office began to shake violently and Barty stood and slammed his hand on the top of it, "Shut up, you large oaf! You're not getting out, so just chill out." Then he exited the office and went to the large window in the Defense classroom. Kids were running willy-nilly around the grounds of Hogwarts before their dinner time and all the new students from the other schools were milling among them and attempting to make friends. Barty took a large gulp from the polyjuice potion in his hip flask before turning away from the window. Dinner would begin any minute, and then afterwards he'd have his 'heart-to-heart' with Hermione.

* * *

><p>Barty hadn't gone to dinner that evening; his meal had consisted of polyjuice potion and a slice of bread in his office. He was just starting to heat the tea kettle when a tentative knock on the door signaled Hermione's presence, "Come in," Moody's gruff voice rang out.<p>

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" Hermione hovered cautiously in the doorway.

"Yes," Barty sat down and gestured to the seat across from him, "Please have a seat." The tea kettle whistled next to him and Barty poured the tea into two identical cups, then handed one to Hermione.

She took the tea and sat down, obviously not wanting to be there. Barty didn't blame her, who would want to stare at Moody's face for longer than they have to? Hermione took a sip of the tea, and Barty could see the surprise on her face to discover that it was Jasmine, her favorite. She took a large swallow, and then set her cup down on the desk and said, "Neville said you wanted to talk to me about class?"

"Ah, yes." Barty took a drink of his own tea, then tried to remember that he was still Moody, even though he was speaking as Barty as he said, "I wanted to apologize for earlier today. You see, Miss Granger, sometimes I forget-" He wanted to say that he forgets that he's at Hogwarts disguised as a teacher, not to torture kids and bring his master back, but he corrected himself, "I forget that not everyone in the Wizarding World are ex-Aurors, and can handle seeing those things. Neville and I already had a discussion, and you're the only other one who seemed majorly effected by the lesson."

"Well when you kill a spider right in front of someone, using the very curse that almost ended her best friend's life; that affects most people." Hermione crossed her arms and took a defiant posture.

Barty didn't like it, "And I apologize. I realize that not everyone is prepared to see those things."

Hermione huffed. There was a moment of silence until she relaxed and said, "I accept. Just be sensitive next time," She bit out again. Then the trunk in the corner of the office began to rattle and the real Moody inside started to scream. Hermione jumped and said, "What is that?"

Barty drained his tea, and then threw the empty cup at the rattling trunk. The metal cup bounced off and the shaking stopped, "If you couldn't handle the lesson today, then you couldn't handle what's in the trunk." Barty smiled what he hoped was a joking smile.

Hermione laughed and said, "I guess I don't want to know then." The silence stretched out again.

Then Barty did something he promised himself he wouldn't do, "So the Yule Ball is coming up, and I saw Krum and ginger-boy making eyes at you." Hermione gave him the same look he thought she was going to. It said 'why did you just say that?' Barty gave a gravelly laugh and said, "What? Just because I have a scarred face and gruff demeanor, that doesn't mean I can't take interest in people's lives? Plus, I hate awkward silences…"

"Well," Hermione shifted a bit in her seat, "There was a boy I was going to ask to come with me, but Viktor Krum got to me first, and I couldn't really say no. Plus, it'd be easier to go with Viktor, than with the other boy."

Barty knew she was talking about him, and he wanted to go find the Krum boy and give him a few choice curses. But, since he'd already gone to the Yule Ball with Hermione, he would just let time run its course, "Ah. I see." He was about to ask her another question, he missed their old talks, but he was interrupted by Professor McGonagall knocking at the door.

"Alastor? Bartemius Crouch Sr. is here to speak with you and Dumbledore concerning the next task of the Tournament." McGonagall said.

Barty growled at the mention of his father's name. He hated that man, "What if I don't want to speak with Crouch? I'm having a discussion with a student." Barty gestured at Hermione, who blushed a deep red. He really didn't want to leave their conversation; they hadn't spoken in so long for him, "Besides, Crouch Sr. is starting to go a little loony, don't you think?" Barty knew exactly why that was, but McGonagall's answer surprised him.

"Don't you think, Alastor, that if you had lost both your wife, and then your son, that you'd be a little lonely and crazy?" Then she gave a huff and said, "We'll be waiting for you in Dumbledore's office." She stomped out.

Hermione whirled around to face Barty, a look of panic in her eyes, "Mr. Crouch lost his son? How? When?"

Barty wasn't keen on telling Hermione that he was a Death Eater that supposedly died in Azkaban, so he said instead, "Bartemius Crouch Jr. died of unknown reasons when he was 20 years old." Her face fell and she looked about to cry, "Why?"

She stood and gathered her things hastily, "No reason. I need to go, Professor." Then she hurried out of the room, a sob escaping from her lips just before the door was shut.

Barty listened to her footsteps race away through the classroom, then he whispered, "It's OK, Hermione. I'm still here. Please don't cry." Then he stood and made his way to Dumbledore's office.


	8. Chapter 7

"Professor Moody?" McGonagall stuck her head into the Defense classroom and interrupted Barty's class of First Years, "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Uh, yeah," Barty turned to the class, "Open your textbooks, I don't care what page, and read something." Then he walked out into the hall, "Yes, Professor?"

"Alastor, as you are well aware, the Yule Ball is this evening, and we're in need of adult chaperones. I'm sorry for the late notice, but would you be able to help out?"

Barty had been planning on staying in his room all night, avoiding the dance because it had been the last time he'd saw Hermione, but now it seemed her had no choice. Saying no was out of Moody's character, "Sure, Minerva. I'd be glad to help out."

"Perfect," She smiled, "Then I'll see you tonight right after dinner to prepare the Great Hall, and for a brief chaperone meeting." Then she whisked away, leaving Barty slightly dazed and alone in the hall way.

He shook his head, and then went back into the classroom, slamming the door behind him and causing the First Years to jump, "Quick! Name the three top defensive spells at the Ministry!" The First Years blinked confusedly and stared blankly ahead.

* * *

><p>After dinner, the students were all in their dorms. Most likely, the girls were cracking out beautician spells and de-wrinkling their dresses, and the boys were probably jacking around in the dorms, and would throw on their robes at the last minute. Meanwhile, Professors Barty, McGonagall, Severus, Flitwick, Hagrid, and Sprout were all in the Great Hall moving tables, stringing lights, and glittering the place up. Barty thought he would hate the task, but as he strung the lights, he got flashes of the past. The way these lights would shine while a younger him danced with Hermione, and the way the spacious dance-floor would leave them enough room to twirl endlessly made him smile.<p>

"Care to share the smile, Alastor?" Severus asked as Barty almost bumped into him.

Barty had never hated Severus, but he still wasn't about to share the secret with him, "I'm just remembering my own Yule Ball. I went with a really pretty girl in a pink dress."

Severus laughed, "She sounds like quite the catch."

Barty smiled, "She was. Considering she was someone else's date that night." He laughed heartily at the thought of what would happen later that night, and Snape joined him. This was the first time in all of Barty's recent days at Hogwarts that Severus had been in a pleasant mood, "So why are you so happy, Severus?"

Snape just shrugged, "There was a dance at Hogwarts when I was a sixth year. Just a little dance, nothing like this, but Lily finally said yes to letting me have one dance, even though she'd been pretty angry with me all year. I was just thinking about it."

Barty nodded and hung the last string of lights, then went to help Professor Flitwick with arranging the round tables. After they were all in the proper place, it was almost time for the students to start filling in, so Professor McGonagall called everyone over for a meeting, "Basically, keep the dancing students a decent distance from each other, keep an eye on the punch bowl, watch out for students who sneak away, and try to break up any and all fights."

Everyone murmured that they understood their requirements, then took up their posts around the room. Barty picked a corner near the entrance, and took another large drink of polyjuice potion. Ten minutes or so passed before the first students began filing in. Durmstrang students had dates from Beauxbatons, Beauxbatons and Durmstrangs had Hogwarts dates, and some Hogwarts students were going with each other. It was a mess of color and culture. Barty watched as Harry Potter and Ron Weasley came in with the Patil twins on their arms, though Harry's attention was locked on Cho Chang, and Ron seemed to be throwing an internal hissy-fit. Finally, Hermione was whisked through the doors in a flurry of pink ruffles, on the arm of Viktor Krum. Hermione and Krum made their way to the center of the dance floor and melded right into the swift movements of the dancers. A tight knot twisted itself in Barty's stomach, and he had to turn his attention elsewhere.

The dance wore on and Barty had, essentially, nothing to do. He did bust a couple or two who were trying to sneak off from the dance to be alone, but other than that, he just melted into the wall the whole time. Towards the end of the night, kids started going to bed and Harry Potter got up and went out of the Hall for some reason. A few of the chaperones were leaving early, and Barty was about to leave, when a commotion at the center of the dance floor caught his attention. Hermione was upset and yelling at Ron for something, and the boy looked frightened. Hermione's yelling was backing him right out of the Hall, and as they slipped out of the entrance, Barty caught a glimpse of what she was saying, "Of all the rotten things you've done, Ronald this has to be—" And they were out of the Hall.

Barty looked back at Viktor, who looked a little shocked and angry as well, then watched the boy stomp out of the Great Hall. Barty knew what was going to happen next, and he decided to wait and watch. Hermione came back into the Hall and tried to locate her date, and when she couldn't, she sat down at a table, looking miserable. Barty waited and waited, but Hermione still didn't move. He was about to go over to her, when she abruptly stood and ran from the Hall. Barty smiled; she was going to go get him.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, Hermione re-entered the Great Hall with a thin sixth year boy from the past on her arm. Barty smiled and sat down at the closest table and watched them dance. His younger self looked just that; young. Young and definitely fatter. He was still freakishly thin, but Azkaban would take a toll on his body, leaving him reduced to the Barty that was disguised as Moody, nothing but flesh and bones. Hermione didn't take her eyes off younger Barty and the boy with chestnut hair and matching eyes did the same.

Barty looked away and smiled; he felt that to stare at them for much longer would break the spell they had going. He was still grinning madly when Severus sat down next to him, "Reminiscing again, Alastor?" He asked.

"It's like I can see it happening again," Barty tried not to laugh at his joke.

"Yeah, I know what you—" Severus broke off as something caught his eye. Barty followed his line of sight to see that he was staring right at Hermione and his past self, "What the…? That kid isn't from here!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Severus," Barty tried to take control of the situation, "He had Hogwarts class robes on."

"No," Severus stood, "That's Barty Crouch Jr. I went to school with him. He's a convicted Death Eater and from the past. Excuse me while I go question those two."

Barty reached out quickly and pulled Severus back into his seat and said, "Severus, seriously. One, you're a convicted Death Eater, too," A terrible one at that, "Plus, have a little compassion. The boy's only, what? 16? 17? In his normal time stream, he'll be dead in a few years. Can't you just leave him? He won't be a Death Eater for a few more years anyway."

Severus blinked, then said, "No, someone stole a time-turner, and I think it was Miss Granger. I'm going to get to the bottom of this." Snape stood to go over to the dancing couple, but Barty whipped out his wand and whispered a stunning spell.

Severus went down like a sack of cement and Barty scrambled up to check him. Professor McGonagall was by his side immediately, "What happened?"

"I don't know, Professor. Perhaps Severus here was at the drink tonight. He seems to be OK, so I'll just take him up to Madam Pomfrey and let her take care of him." Barty worked a levitating spell and began to guide Snape's body out the door.

* * *

><p>By the time he got back downstairs, the dance was ending and all the students were being sent to bed. Barty lumbered awkwardly over to the entrance to garden just in time to see Hermione and his younger self disappear slowly back to his time. Barty leaned against the doorway and waited for her to come back. It didn't take long before she was seated on the bench again, tears in her eyes. Barty went over and sat down next to her, "Miss Granger, care to tell me what's happened?"<p>

Hermione decided to confess, "I stole a time-turner, Professor Moody, and I guess you saw that. So do I have a detention now?" She looked up at him, tears threatening to spill down her face.

Barty sighed, "No, I don't think so. And I meant what's happened that you're crying."

"Oh," Hermione wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, "The boy I brought here was Barty Jr. And I guess I'm just sad because, within a few short years in his timeline, he'll be dead and buried. And I had to keep that from him tonight."

"Sounds like you care about him."

"He's one of my best friends. We met in a time-turner accident last year, and I just kept going back. I like his company, and I trust him." Barty was glad to hear that, but at the same time regretful, because he hadn't done anything since that night that would be deemed 'trustworthy' in her eyes. She took a shaky breath and said, "And I don't think I can ever go back."

Barty was silent, so that's why she stopped visiting. He wanted to slam his head on the near-by garden wall; Hermione stopped going back to him, because he had told her about his fake death. He felt stupid. Really stupid. The silence stretched on and on until Hermione finally bid him good-night and left to go to bed. Barty continued to stare straight ahead at the garden wall, and didn't even acknowledge her leaving. Then, once she was out of sight, he stood and walked over to the wall, then let his forehead impact with the not-so-soft concrete, "I'm an idiot…"


	9. Chapter 8

Barty pivoted quickly and started making his way back across the room. He'd been pacing in the bedroom for over thirty minutes now; the TriWizard Cup resting on the desk. Barty stopped his pacing as he caught his reflection in the mirror. The polyjuice potion had worn off and every time Barty caught his own reflection, it made him jump. After reminding himself that he was Barty and not Moody currently, he continued pacing. His master's his continued to rebound around in his head, "_Turn the cup into a port key, so that when Harry touches it, he will be transported to the graveyard and I will kill him then."_

Normally, Barty would've been all for this plan, but now he was having second thoughts. Harry Potter was his master's enemy, but Hermione's best friend. If he helped kill Harry, then Hermione would hate him. If he revealed himself to her, then ran away, the Dark Lord would find and murder him. His breath caught in his throat. What if the Dark Lord killed her too? Barty slammed his fist into the Cup and it went flying across the dorm and clattered loudly on the floor.

He sat down at the desk and knotted his fingers into his hair. He'd have to charm the cup; it was the only sure-fire way to keep Hermione safe. Even if she hated him for it. Frustration was building inside him. He was angry for not being able to talk to Hermione as himself, to reassure her that he was still alive. Angry about the task he now had to complete. Angry about his decision to join the Death Eaters, though it'd seemed like the perfect idea at the time. He'd thought that's what Hermione had meant by 'finding a group he fit into'. He didn't fit into the Death Eaters; he'd forced himself to. He'd taken the only kindness he'd ever received and twisted it to fit his fancy at the time.

Barty laid his head on the desk; he'd let his lovely Hermione kill him with her kindness.

* * *

><p><strong>Quick author's note: this is technically 'the end'. The epilogue is coming shortly, but there's an issue with it, as you'll see in the next chapter 'interlude'. Don't have a panic attack, it's the end, but it's not.<strong>


	10. Interlude

**Hello dear readers and followers of this story! I'm having issues with writing the epilogue because I have two separate ideas about it. I'm not revealing anything other than this: one makes cannon readers happy, the other makes the shippers happy. (I also kinda have a third one that screws with the population and makes no one happy…)**

**So, please comment and pick one of the below options:**

**A. Post the 'shippers' ending**

**B. Post the 'cannon' ending**

**C. Post both and let the readers decide the one they pick to be true**

**If you want the third idea posted, you'll have to twist my arm a few times. It's sorta mean…**

**Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the story and when I get enough votes in any direction, I'll post the epilogue(s).**

**Thank you for your time, reads, and reviews!**

**-poetanddidntknowit34**


	11. A True Gryffindor

Hermione was pacing the Gryffindor common room in a frenzy of nerves; Voldemort was back and had killed Cedric. Harry had been almost killed, then he turned up missing, taken by Alastor Moody. And to think, she'd almost began to trust that man. Ron was sitting in a chair next to the fireplace, watching Hermione pace. Finally, he said, "Why don't you sit down, Hermione?"

Hermione's eyes flashed as she whirled around to face Ron, "I will NOT! I've already lost one close friend this year, and now it looks like I might've lost two. I won't relax until I know Harry's safe!" She began hysterical pacing again.

"Wait, Hermione," Ron looked confused and concerned, "Who else did you lose?"

"No one," Hermione shook her head. She didn't feel like talking about Barty right now, "Forget I said anything."

Ron opened his mouth to try and push the issue farther, but decided against it, "Harry's in the infirmary, Dumbledore said he'll be fine."

"But we still don't know what happened, now do we?" Hermione was angry now and she was about to let all her pent-up emotions let loose, when Neville Longbottom stumbled awkwardly into the common room.

"Guys!" Neville panted, "Guys, I know what happened to Harry. Turns out, Alastor Moody was a Death Eater in disguise! He led Harry away and tired to get information about what happened in the graveyard, and then Dumbledore came in and questioned him and when the polyjuice potion wore off, it turned out to be Mr. Crouch's son, Barty Jr.!"

Hermione stumbled backwards into and chair and felt the room spin. Her friend was alive? And a Death Eater? It was too much to take in at one time, "Hermione?" Ron stood in front of her, "You OK?"

Hermione just pushed past him and got into Neville's face, "Where is he now?"

Neville looked flustered and said, "I don't know."

A dark shadow of anger overcame Hermione's face, "Yes, you do. Tell me!"

Neville looked ready to pee himself as he said in a shaky voice, "McGonagall's guarding the door to the Defense office, where they're keeping him, and Fudge is on his way with a Dementor—" He was cut off by Hermione turning and dashing suddenly up the stairs to the boys' dorms.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Ron asked, flying after her. She didn't answer him and once the boys had finally reached the Fourth Year dorms, Hermione was already on her knees digging through Harry's trunk, "Hermione!" Ron yelled.

Hermione looked up and said, "Go to the hospital wing, I'll be up in a minute. There's something I need to do first." She pulled the invisibility cloak over her shoulders and disappeared from sight. She then felt in her robes pocket, making sure the stolen time-turner was still there.

Then she fled the Gryffindor tower and ran as fast as she could to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. The hallways to the school were silent and dark as she leaned against the wall next to the door, trying to catch her breath so her panting wouldn't give her away to McGonagall. Then, she slipped inside the open door. Professor McGonagall was seated at one of the near-by desks, sitting cross-armed and grumpily staring at the doorway behind Hermione. It was easy for Hermione to slip past her and quietly crack open the door to the office enough for her to slide in undetected.

In the corner of the office, seated in a small wooden chair, was a different Barty than she had ever known. His stringy brown hair was long and hanging in all directions around his dirty face. He looked as if he hadn't eaten in years and his skin clung tightly to his bones, while his harsh, condescending brown eyes bore into her, "I know you're invisible," His voice had a razor edge to it, "So show yourself." Hermione pulled the invisibility cloak off and immediately, deranged Death Eater melted into the 16 year-old boy she knew, "Hermione!" He jumped out of the chair and went to hug her.

She ducked right under his arms and was quickly on the opposite side of the room of him; he looked like a wounded puppy, "No," Now it was her turn to have the harsh eyes, "How dare you?"

He looked down at his feet and for a moment, Hermione got a glimpse of the scared teenager who'd admitted his family problems to her so long ago, "You know about that, then?"

"Know that you're a Death Eater? Know that you assisted in the murder of Cedric, and the rise of Voldemort? Know that you were in Azkaban? And know that you let me think," Her voice cracked as she choked back tears, "Let me think that you were dead." She started crying, and much to her surprise, so did he.

Barty ran over and fell to his knees at her feet, "Please forgive me! I didn't want Cedric to die, and I thought I wanted all the things I did. I did horrible things, Hermione! And I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't." Tears were streaming down his face and his voice was breaking so much, he was hardly articulate.

Hermione dropped to her knees to and broke her harsh wall. She let him hug her and they stayed like that, two friends reconciling in each other's arms. They cried and cried, until no more tears would come, then Barty whispered quietly, "I did so many bad things."

Hermione didn't want to hear them, so she just put a finger to his lips and said, "It's OK. I forgive you."

"You do?" He sat up, looking like a small kid on Christmas morning.

She did. She really did. She nodded and said, "I do. I'm just relieved that you're alive." Then her face fell again as she remembered a crucial detail, "Barty, Fudge is on his way, and he's a bringing a Dementor."

Barty scrambled to his feet and backed across the room, then began to pace as he ran his fingers through his scraggly hair, forcing it to stick up in odd places, "No, no, no, no," He muttered as he beat a familiar track up and down the office. Then he ran back over to Hermione and said, "Please, no! I can't get the Kiss! I can't! Hermione, help me!" He broke down into hysterical sobs.

She pulled him down to lie on her lap and stroked his hair until he stopped crying, "I can't do anything," She whispered.

It was silent for a minute before Barty finally said, "Hermione?" She looked down into his eyes, "I love you. I always did."

Hermione choked up again. What was she supposed to say? But she didn't have to say anything, because there was a commotion outside the door. Barty scrambled to his feet and sat back down in his chair, the cruel demeanor reappearing on his face. Hermione tossed the invisibility cloak over herself just in time for the door to open and Fudge and McGonagall to come storming into the room, "I have the right to my security, Minerva!" He roared.

The Dementor loomed in the doorway, casting its chill through the room. Hermione saw Barty grip his chair in terror, and as Fudge and McGonagall continued to bicker, the Dementor took the matter into its own hands. The creature swooped down upon Barty and began to issue the Kiss. Hermione heard both McGonagall and Barty scream and saw the Professor lunge forward, but Fudge caught her and said, "Don't get involved! What's done is done!"

But Hermione wouldn't give up; she conjured a faint, mist-like patronus that floated over and formed a shield between Barty and the Dementor. The creature backed off, but Barty still fainted. McGonagall was furious now, "Cornelius Fudge! Dumbledore will have your head!" Then she stormed from the room, Fudge and the Dementor following suit.

As soon as they were out of the room, Hermione threw the invisibility cloak off and ran over to Barty, "Wake up!" She shook him gently, "Barty wake up!" It took a few violent shakes before he finally came to.

"I'm alive? Hermione! I'm alive!" He stood up and hugged her tight, picking her up and spinning her around the room.

Then he leaned in and tried to kiss her. She put up a hand to stop him, "Barty, we don't have much time. Someone's bound to come back and find you still alive, and still with a soul." She pulled the time-turner out and placed it around his neck, "Trust me," She spun the turner and watched him disappear, a final protest attempting to escape trough the expanding time between them.

Hermione sighed and picked up the invisibility cloak. Now, all she had to do was wait.

* * *

><p>Barty watched Hermione fade away slowly and he found himself standing in the Defense office alone. How many years ahead or back he'd gone, he had no idea. He crept out of the office to find that the classroom was also empty, but there was Daily Prophet on the new Defense teacher's desk. Barty snatched it up and read the date, then did the math; he'd gone forward exactly 20 years into the future.<p>

"Can I help you?" A voice came from the doorway to the Defense classroom.

When Barty dropped the paper and turned around, he saw a grown-up Ron Weasley and Harry Potter standing in the doorway. As soon as Ron saw who it was, he yelled, "You!" Then charged at Barty.

Harry quickly raced after and restrained him, "Ron, calm down!"

"I'm gonna kill him, Harry!" Ron struggled against the grip Harry had on him until he broke free and turned on his friend, "I'm surprised that you're not assisting me. Have you forgotten what he did?"

Harry shook his head, "No, but Hermione saved him for a reason, Ron. Didn't you think about that before you set out to kill him?"

"Harry," Ron had tears in his eyes now, "He's the reason she's dead."

Barty felt like all the blood had been drained from his body and he had to grip the desk to keep himself from falling over, "What?" He whispered.

Ron huffed and stomped away across the room. Harry, on the other hand, was sympathetic. He sat on the desk across from Barty, "She's dead. Voldemort found out that you'd been sent away because of her, and he went after her first. He'd sent Death Eater's into the castle to find her, and then they kidnapped her and brought her to the Dark Lord himself. Draco Malfoy was out there and told me the story later. He says she was brave, stood tall, and used her last words to say 'tell him I love him'. Then she was killed." Harry looked away, tears shinning in his eyes for his fallen friend.

"You see?" Ron stormed over, "This is all your fault!" He began crying, "She died for you, and you weren't even around to know about it."

"That's not his fault," Harry whispered.

Barty was dazed, but he managed to say, "Where is she buried?"

"On the edge of the Forbidden forest, right where she was killed." Harry said. Then he looked away and said, "I think you should get out of my classroom now."

Barty nodded and went to the door, "I'm so sorry," And he meant it.

* * *

><p>The grave was right where Harry had said it would be; a tiny little dirt mound that was starting to grow flowers. There was a headstone that read <em>'Hermione Jean Granger: Beloved friend and brave in all adversaries. A true Gryffindor.' <em>It was true. Hermione never gave up and always kept calm, and that's what he'd liked so much about her. To think, he'd had her in his arms only ten minutes ago, and now she was dead. His chest hurt and he fell to his knees. Around him he saw glimpses of the past; the ghost of a battle he started, but wasn't in. He saw the Death Eaters gathered around the strong 17 year-old they'd kidnapped, saw her bravely speak her final words, then saw a flash of green light and her lifeless body lying in the very spot in front of him. He closed his eyes and began to cry.

**The End**

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, you can STOP having a heart-attack and plotting my demise. This IS NOT the real ending. I just like mind-effing people and making them want to flail a bull elephant. The real ending will be up later, I promise. And I'm not telling which side of the argument won the vote. But, I really would love to hear your reaction to this fake ending! Mostly, I did this to hear those comments :D<strong>


	12. Epilogue

Hermione was pacing the Gryffindor common room in a frenzy of nerves; Voldemort was back and had killed Cedric. Harry had been almost killed, then he turned up missing, taken by Alastor Moody. And to think, she'd almost began to trust that man. Ron was sitting in a chair next to the fireplace, watching Hermione pace. Finally, he said, "Why don't you sit down, Hermione?"

Hermione's eyes flashed as she whirled around to face Ron, "I will NOT! I've already lost one close friend this year, and now it looks like I might've lost two. I won't relax until I know Harry's safe!" She began hysterical pacing again.

"Wait, Hermione," Ron looked confused and concerned, "Who else did you lose?"

"No one," Hermione shook her head. She didn't feel like talking about Barty right now, "Forget I said anything."

Ron opened his mouth to try and push the issue farther, but decided against it, "Harry's in the infirmary, Dumbledore said he'll be fine."

"But we still don't know what happened, now do we?" Hermione was angry now and she was about to let all her pent-up emotions let loose, when Neville Longbottom stumbled awkwardly into the common room.

"Guys!" Neville panted, "Guys, I know what happened to Harry. Turns out, Alastor Moody was a Death Eater in disguise! He led Harry away and tired to get information about what happened in the graveyard, and then Dumbledore came in and questioned him and when the polyjuice potion wore off, it turned out to be Mr. Crouch's son, Barty Jr.!"

Hermione stumbled backwards into and chair and felt the room spin. Her friend was alive? And a Death Eater? It was too much to take in at one time, "Hermione?" Ron stood in front of her, "You OK?"

Hermione just pushed past him and got into Neville's face, "Where is he now?"

Neville looked flustered and said, "I don't know."

A dark shadow of anger overcame Hermione's face, "Yes, you do. Tell me!"

Neville looked ready to pee himself as he said in a shaky voice, "McGonagall's guarding the door to the Defense office, where they're keeping him, and Fudge is on his way with a Dementor—" He was cut off by Hermione turning and dashing suddenly up the stairs to the boys' dorms.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Ron asked, flying after her. She didn't answer him and once the boys had finally reached the Fourth Year dorms, Hermione was already on her knees digging through Harry's trunk, "Hermione!" Ron yelled.

Hermione looked up and said, "Go to the hospital wing, I'll be up in a minute. There's something I need to do first." She pulled the invisibility cloak over her shoulders and disappeared from sight. She then felt in her robes pocket, making sure the stolen time-turner was still there.

Then she fled the Gryffindor tower and ran as fast as she could to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. The hallways to the school were silent and dark as she leaned against the wall next to the door, trying to catch her breath so her panting wouldn't give her away to McGonagall. Then, she slipped inside the open door. Professor McGonagall was seated at one of the near-by desks, sitting cross-armed and grumpily staring at the doorway behind Hermione. It was easy for Hermione to slip past her and quietly crack open the door to the office enough for her to slide in undetected.

In the corner of the office, seated in a small wooden chair, was a different Barty than she had ever known. His stringy brown hair was long and hanging in all directions around his dirty face. He looked as if he hadn't eaten in years and his skin clung tightly to his bones, while his harsh, condescending brown eyes bore into her, "I know you're invisible," His voice had a razor edge to it, "So show yourself." Hermione pulled the invisibility cloak off and immediately, deranged Death Eater melted into the 16 year-old boy she knew, "Hermione!" He jumped out of the chair and went to hug her.

She ducked right under his arms and was quickly on the opposite side of the room of him; he looked like a wounded puppy, "No," Now it was her turn to have the harsh eyes, "How dare you?"

He looked down at his feet and for a moment, Hermione got a glimpse of the scared teenager who'd admitted his family problems to her so long ago, "You know about that, then?"

"Know that you're a Death Eater? Know that you assisted in the murder of Cedric, and the rise of Voldemort? Know that you were in Azkaban? And know that you let me think," Her voice cracked as she choked back tears, "Let me think that you were dead." She started crying, and much to her surprise, so did he.

Barty ran over and fell to his knees at her feet, "Please forgive me! I didn't want Cedric to die, and I thought I wanted all the things I did. I did horrible things, Hermione! And I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't." Tears were streaming down his face and his voice was breaking so much, he was hardly articulate.

Hermione dropped to her knees to and broke her harsh wall. She let him hug her and they stayed like that, two friends reconciling in each other's arms. They cried and cried, until no more tears would come, then Barty whispered quietly, "I did so many bad things."

Hermione didn't want to hear them, so she just put a finger to his lips and said, "It's OK. I forgive you."

"You do?" He sat up, looking like a small kid on Christmas morning.

She did. She really did. She nodded and said, "I do. I'm just relieved that you're alive." Then her face fell again as she remembered a crucial detail, "Barty, Fudge is on his way, and he's a bringing a Dementor."

Barty scrambled to his feet and backed across the room, then began to pace as he ran his fingers through his scraggly hair, forcing it to stick up in odd places, "No, no, no, no," He muttered as he beat a familiar track up and down the office. Then he ran back over to Hermione and said, "Please, no! I can't get the Kiss! I can't! Hermione, help me!" He broke down into hysterical sobs.

She pulled him down to lie on her lap and stroked his hair until he stopped crying, "I can't do anything," She whispered.

It was silent for a minute before Barty finally said, "Hermione?" She looked down into his eyes, "I love you. I always did."

Hermione choked up again. What was she supposed to say? But she didn't have to say anything, because there was a commotion outside the door. Barty scrambled to his feet and sat back down in his chair, the cruel demeanor reappearing on his face. Hermione tossed the invisibility cloak over herself just in time for the door to open and Fudge and McGonagall to come storming into the room, "I have the right to my security, Minerva!" He roared.

The Dementor loomed in the doorway, casting its chill through the room. Hermione saw Barty grip his chair in terror, and as Fudge and McGonagall continued to bicker, the Dementor took the matter into its own hands. The creature swooped down upon Barty and began to issue the Kiss. Hermione heard both McGonagall and Barty scream and saw the Professor lunge forward, but Fudge caught her and said, "Don't get involved! What's done is done!"

But Hermione wouldn't give up; she conjured a faint, mist-like patronus that floated over and formed a shield between Barty and the Dementor. The creature backed off, but Barty still fainted. McGonagall was furious now, "Cornelius Fudge! Dumbledore will have your head!" Then she stormed from the room, Fudge and the Dementor following suit.

As soon as they were out of the room, Hermione threw the invisibility cloak off and ran over to Barty, "Wake up!" She shook him gently, "Barty wake up!" It took a few violent shakes before he finally came to.

"I'm alive? Hermione! I'm alive!" He stood up and hugged her tight, picking her up and spinning her around the room.

Then he leaned in and tried to kiss her. She put up a hand to stop him, "Barty, we don't have much time. Someone's bound to come back and find you still alive, and still with a soul." She pulled the time-turner out and placed it around his neck, "Trust me," She spun the turner and watched him disappear, a final protest attempting to escape trough the expanding time between them.

Hermione sighed and picked up the invisibility cloak. Now, all she had to do was wait.

***20 years later***

Hermione Granger sat on the front porch of her home in London, sipping lemonade and watching cars drive by. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and she was enjoying every minute of it, when a taxi cab pulled into her driveway. She wasn't expecting anyone, so she was surprised to see the car. She stood to go investigate, and when the passenger stepped out, she froze. Barty Crouch Jr. stood in her driveway, looking the exact same as he had 20 years ago.

Hermione watched him walk slowly up to stand next to her on the porch, she was absolutely stunned. Every day for 20 years, she'd thought about him and waited until she reached the year that she'd sent him to, so that he would come find her. She just didn't think that today would be that day. She smiled and said, "Barty, I—"

But he refused to let her finish. Instead, he bent down and pressed his lips firmly to hers. He kissed her gently and deeply, making her shiver with excitement and love, "I love you," He whispered against her lips.

"I love you, too," Then she kissed him again and pulled him inside the house. She drank in his kisses and the smell of his skin as she gave in to the twenty years of love she'd let build up and was now able to express. Barty wound his fingers into her hair and showered her with his touch.

Finally, they stopped to breathe, "Marry me," Barty said abruptly, pleading with his eyes.

Hermione paused, then said carefully, "We'll see." Then she kissed him again.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, this is the REAL epilogueend of the story.**


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